Testimony in 30th District Court Wednesday morning revealed life wasn't an easy childhood for the two sons of Jonathan Woody.

There were some questions about who exactly was the father of the older boy that would one day become Sara Anne Woody's stepson, the children's maternal grandmother, Laurie Davis, said. Through a DNA test, it was eventually determined that Jonathan was the boy's father. Jonathan went on to marry the boy's mother and have a second son with that woman.

But in the early years of the boys' lives, Davis said, they often stayed with them and rarely saw their mother.

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Attorney Reggie Wilson speaks with defendant Sara Anne Woody, 25, during proceedings Wednesday in 30th District Court. Woody is accused of causing injury to her stepchildren to include licking a toilet, hitting their lips with a spoon and forcing one to do push ups without stopping, otherwise she would hit him with a tent pole.(Photo: CHRISTOPHER WALKER/TIMES RECORD NEWS)

Davis and her husband, Chris, were called by Sara Woody's defense attorneys to testify during her trial on 26 counts of injury to a child based on allegations made by the two boys and Sara's oldest daughter.

The Davises had lost contact with their grandchildren for some time after Jonathan divorced the boys' mother and got together a few years later with Sara.

Upon questioning, Laurie Davis said she had Jonathan's phone number and could get Sara's number, also. But, she said she never did.

The grandmother said she didn't know where they had moved after the family left the Arlington Heights area.

She testified they didn't learn that the Woodys were living in Burkburnett until the allegations of child abuse came to light on March 30, 2016, and the two boys were placed in their custody in De Leon, Texas, by Child Protective Services the following month.

Chris Davis testified he began noticing the older boy was hiding food in his room. Laurie Davis recalled the boys would always ask permission before going to use the bathroom.

The grandparents said in separate testimony that they finally had to sit the boys down and explain to them that the house was "our house," and they could eat when they were hungry and use the restroom when needed – as long as they washed their hands, Laurie Davis said.

As the boys became more comfortable in the home, they began making disclosures to their grandparents about alleged abuse that took place in the Woody home.

The older boy explained about getting in trouble for "stealing food" and having to throw it back up.

"I was crying," Laurie Davis said.

"The stuff they told me made me sick to my stomach," Chris Davis said about an hour later during his testimony.

Laurie and Chris Davis each said the boys opened up with the outcries at the dinner table and were not prompted or told what to say by them. They had been instructed not to talk to the boys about the case and had followed that order.

The Davises contacted CPS officials and Burkburnett police detectives to set up a second forensic interview. Based on that information, additional charges were filed against Sara Woody.

Prior to the boys' placement in their care, an evaluation was done on the Davis's home and on them by CPS. It is unclear whether or not Chris Davis' medical and mental health issues were disclosed at that time.

On July 19, 2016, the two boys were removed from the Davis' house and placed into the care of their paternal grandparents.

The exchange was upsetting for both the Davises and the boys, Chris Davis said.

The grandfather said the older boy hugged him and clung to him, saying he didn't want to go with the CPS worker.

He said he was not told the reasons the boys were removed from their home and began calling supervisors with CPS. While the situation got heated, Chris Davis said he remained professional and didn't get violent or use foul language.

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The prosecution will continue to make its case against Sara Anne Woody, a 25-year-old woman accused of 26 counts of injury to a child. Jurors have already heard from an ER doctor at United Regional Health Care System, two Burkburnett police detectives, two of Woody's relatives and her two former stepsons.
Patrick Johnston/Times Record News